Refrigerator door trim handles and mounting strip

ABSTRACT

An appliance door trim handle and panel mounting assembly in which a pair of trim handles are located along the inner vertical edges of each door closure of a side-by-side refrigerator freeze or the like. Each door trim handle assembly includes a channelshaped mounting strip fixedly secured to the face of the door and a substantially J-shaped handle having its backwall seated in interlocked fashion in the mounting strip pocket. The mounting strip has a pair of legs one of which provides a recess adapted to receive the free edge of the handle backwall while the opposite leg has a resilient flange adapted to engage a plurality of lanced projections provided in the backwall of the handle allowing the resilient flange to snap back after the projections pass over the flange to thereby produce a snug fit which cannot be altered without the aid of tools.

United States Patent Saunders et al.

[54] REFRIGERATOR DOOR TRIM HANDLES AND MOUNTING STRIP [72] lnventors:Orson V. Saunders, Dayton; Louis D.

Benasutti, Fairborn, both of Ohio General Motors Corporation, Detroit,Mich.

221 Filed: Nov. 13, 1970 211 Appl.No.: 89,412

[73] Assignee:

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Spielman Fritsch Riegelman.:....49/460 5] Mar. 141, 1972 Primary ExaminerReinaldo P. MachadoAssistant Examiner--Philip C. Kannan Att0rneyWilliam S. Pettigrew,Frederick M. Ritchie and Edward P. Barthel [5 7] ABSTRACT An appliancedoor trim handle and panel mounting assembly in which a pair of trimhandles are located along the inner vertical edges of each door closureof a side-by-side refrigerator freeze or the like. Each door trim handleassembly includes a channel-shaped mounting strip fixedly secured to theface of the door and a substantially J-shaped handle having its backwallseated in interlocked fashion in the mounting strip pocket. The mountingstrip has a pair of legs one of which provides a recess adapted toreceive the free edge of the handle backwall while the opposite leg hasa resilient flange adapted to engage a plurality of lanced projectionsprovided in the backwall of the handle allowing the resilient flange tosnap back after the projections pass over the flange to thereby producea snug fit which cannot be altered without the aid of tools.

3 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PAIENIEUMAR 14 I972 3,648, 41 1 SHEET 2 [1F2 ATTORNEY REFRIGERATOR DOOR TRIM HANDLES AND MOUNTWG STRIP Thisinvention relates to refrigerator door constructions and moreparticularly to a door edge trim handle structure and means for mountingthereof to each of the inner vertical edges of side-by-side refrigeratordoors.

The mounting of trim type decorative handles along the door edges ofside-by-side refrigerator freezers presents a special problem in thatthe clearance between the mating edges of the two doors does not allowthe use of standard edge type mounting arrangements as in the case ofover-and-under style refrigerator freezers. Not only does theconventional use of rivets or screws for securing the handle detractfrom the overall appearance of the appliance but various types ofdecorative coatings such as vinyl laminates used on the handles may besubjected to damage during subsequent fabrication of the refrigeratorafter the handles have been mounted.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide new andimproved means for mounting trim type handles to a refrigerator doorconstruction.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improvedmeans for attaching trim type handles adjacent the inner vertical edgesof a pair of side-by-side door members for closing the access openingsof an appliance which means does not adversely affect the appearance ofthe assembled components while not requiring attachment to the inneropposed edges of the doors.

Other objects of the present invention will become more apparent whenconsidered in view of the following description and drawings wherein apreferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator embodying the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of one of the handles of FIG. 2showing the securing means thereof;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section similar to FIG. 3 showing the handlemounting strip;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary front view of the upper end of one ofthe handles;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the upper end of thehandle of FIG. 5',

FIG. 7 is an enlarged diagrammatic view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6,illustrating the layers on the front and rear flanges surrounding thehandle of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of one of the end caps for the handle of theinvention;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary view illustrating a partiallyassembled trim style handle of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of theinvention is shown, reference numeral I0 generally designates arefrigerator freezer cabinet having a pair of doors l2 and 14 which arepivotally supported on the cabinet adjacent the outer edges of the doorsby means of hinges (not shown) for swinging, relative movement abouttheir outer vertical edges. Each door is provided with a trim stylehandle assembly 16, 18 adjacent their inner vertical edges forselectively opening the doors I2, 14 respectively which are the subjectof the present invention. Each of the doors I2, 14 supports a magneticdoor seal (not shown) of the type generally disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.3,075,258 for example, for sealing engagement with the metallic outershell portion of the refrigerator cabinet. A magnet is provided in theportion of the seal and serves as the sole means for holding the doorsclosed. Magnetic door seals of this general type are old and for a morecomplete description reference may be had to the aforementioned patent.

In the refrigerator 10 there is provided a refrigerator cabinet havingtwo separate insulated compartments (not shown) including a lowtemperature freezer compartment on the left hand side and a highertemperature above freezing storage compartment on the right hand sidearranged in sideby-side relation and having a common upright insulatedpartition wall (not shown) separating the compartments against whicheach of the doors l2, 14 of the refrigerator abut thereagainst in sealedrelation. The center partition serves as a vertical mullion or centerpost which with the cabinet outer shell portion engages theseal on thefour sides of each of the doors I2, 14 to seal each of the side-by-sidecompartments.

One of the problems in providing trim style door handles adjacent themating edges of doors of this side-by-side type refrigerator freezer isthat it is not convenient to secure the handles to the opposed portionof the inner vertical door flanges 20, 21 defining the vertical gap 22therebetween. The insulated wall section of each of the door structures,as shown by door 14 in FIG. 2, comprises an outer sheet metal wall 24,an inner molded plastic liner member 26, and insulation means 28 such aspolyurethane foam insulation between the members 24 and 26 fordetachably securing them together.

As both handle assemblies 16, 18 are identical so as to be mirror imagesof each other only the right hand handle assembly 18 will be describedin detail with the reference numerals indicating like members in eachassembly. The handle assembly 18 has a channel shaped support mountingstrip 30 secured to the outer panel 24 of its associated door 14 byhaving the panel suitably apertured at 32 (FIG. 3) to receive screws 34which pass through the strip 30 and into L-shaped tapping plates 36 tosecure these parts together. At longitudinal spaced points the base wall38 of the mounting strip 30 is formed with openings 40 the sides ofwhich are tapered as at 42 to receive screws 34 that are threadeddownwardly into the tapping plates 36. The securing strip base wall 38has first and second legs 44, 46 bent from the sides thereof forming asubstantially U-shaped pocket 47. The first leg 44 of the strip 30adjacent the inner vertical edge of the door I4 has a resilient flange48 formed integral with its end and reversely bent upon itself throughan angle of such that it is substantially parallel with the first leg 44such that free end 50 thereof is spaced above the base wall 38 a defineddistance which is substantially equal to the thickness of J-shapedhandle portion 52 of the assembly 18.

With reference to FIG. 4 the leg 44 and its parallel resilient flange 48are oriented at an angle X with respect to the vertical and formedyieldable to be deformed toward the vertical when the handle portion 52is seated in the mounting strip pocket 47 in a manner to be explained].In the disclosed form the angle X is of the order of 3. Expresseddifferently the flange leg 44 is bent toward base wall 38 at an acuteangle with respect to a right angle relative thereto so that the outershoulder portion 53 thereof projects laterally inwardly a slightdistance beyond the free end 50 of the resilient flange 48.

The second leg 46 is located generally perpendicularly to the base wall38 and has inwardly bent or inturned arm 54 integral with its outer endformed substantially parallel to the base wall 38 with the inturned arm54 having its free edge 56 folded back upon itself so that the edge 56is spaced from the bottom wall 38 a defined distance forming a recess 58with the base wall substantially equal in width to the spacing of freeend 50 of resilient flange 44 from the base wall 38 which in the instantform is between 0.100 and 0.090 inch which is the ap proximate thicknessof the back wall 62 of the handle member 52. The mounting strip member30 is preferably made of stainless steel stock having a thickness of theorder of 0.0 l 8 inch.

As stated the elongated handle member 52 has a substantially .l-shapeconfiguration in cross section and as seen in FIG. 3 includes a backwall 62 with a bottom portion 64 joined to the inner edge of the backwall 62 and extends substantially right-angularly therefrom. A frontwall 66 is joined to the outer edge of the bottom portion 64 and risesperpendicularly therefrom so as to be generally parallel to the backwall 62. The lower end of the front wall 66 is curved toward the backwall 62 providing a radiused area 68 forming smooth surfaces forcomfortable gripping of the front wall 66 by the operators hand at anylocation provided by the longitudinally extending space 70.

As best seen in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the back wall 62 has a plu rality ofvertically spaced lanced projections, one of which is shown at 72,struck therefrom which lie in the plane of the back wall 62 and extendslightly beyond the bottom portion 64 a defined distance which in theinstant form is of the order of 0.025 inch. It will be noted in FIG. 7that the rear edge 74 of the lanced projection 72 is chamfered at anangle of approximately 45 for ease of rotatably camming the handle 52into the U-shaped pocket 47 of the mounting strip 30. The front wall 66and the bottom portion 64 have holes adjacent their upper and loweredges as shown by the holes 73, 75 in FIGS. and 6 for a reason to beexplained.

As seen in FIG. 3 the instant handle member 52 is composed of a vinyland rolled steel laminate with the outer exposed surface having adecorative vinyl layer 76, such as a woodgrain texture for example,while the inner surface may be provided with a black vinyl layer 78. Thelayers 76 and 78 preferably cover the entire inner and outer surfaces ofthe handle 52 except for the edges 63 and 77 to protect the same againstexposure to moisture and thus minimize corrosion of the handle. Tofurther enhance the appearance of the handle 52 it will be seen in FIG.5 that the outer edge of the front wall 66 is formed offset at 80 and isbuilt up by means of an underlying metal edge strip 82 and an overlyingvinyl edge strip 84 having rolled edges at 86 to provide a smooth innersurface and an outer raised gripping border that protects the operatorfrom contact with the edges of the metal portion of the handle. Theoffset edge 80 provides a shoulder 81 to prevent the edge strips frombeing worked loose from the handles.

A pair of decorative upper and lower end caps 88, 90 (FIG. 1) formedfrom suitable material such as die cast zinc having a bright chromiumfinish are provided for enclosing the upper and lower ends of the handlewalls to complete the handle member 52. As best seen in FIG. 8 the lowerend cap 90 is shown having a .I-shape with a channel 92 formed in face94 conforming to the cross section of handle 52 such that the lower endcap 90 may be readily press fitted on the lower end of the handle. Theupper end cap 88 is a mirror image of the lower end cap and is locatedon the upper end of the handle walls in the same manner. The end caps88, 90 are fixedly secured by means of staking operations wherein metalof the end caps is forced into holes such as the holes 73, 75 forexample, whereby the end caps prevent sliding of the handle 52 relativeto the mounting strip 30.

When attaching the handle member 52 including its end caps 88, 90 to themounting strip 30 provided by the present invention, initially thehandle member is installed by inserting the free edge 63 of back wallmember 62 in the recess 58 as seen in FIG. 9 and rotating the handlemember 52 so that the charnfered edge 74 of each projection 72 is cammedover the resilient flange 48 thereby flexing the flange 48 until the projections 74 are moved beyond the edge 50 to assume the position shown inFIG. 3 wherein the flange 48 has snapped back to its prestressedcondition so as to provide a tight, locked engagement such that thehandle is secured to mounting strip 30. By virtue of having the leg 44bent at the acute angle X the shoulder portion 53 is deformed toward thevertical by the bottom portion 64 thereby pressure contacting the bottomportion and spring biasing the free edge 63 into the recess 58 andagainst leg 46 to additionally lock the handle in the mounting strippocket in a secure, rattle-free manner.

With applicants arrangement the trim type handle members can be mountedadjacent the vertical inner edges of the doors l2 and 14 as a finaloperation in the assembly of the refrigerator to insure that thedecorative finish on the handle walls is not marred or scratched duringthe fabrication of the cabinet. While the handle member 52 is firmlyaffixed in interlocked relationship with the mounting strip 30 thesecomponents can be disassembled for repair or replacement. To accomplishthe detaching operation, a screw driver or the like is inserted in thearea between the shoulder portion 53 of arm 48 and pried against theradiused area 68 to move the edge 50 outwardly to clear each of theprojections 72 so that the handle 52 may be rotated and withdrawn.

In this regard it will be noticed that the end caps, as shown by end capin FIG. 8, has its channel 92 formed with cutout portions 96, 97 and 98.The cutout portion 96 provides an enlarged space for receiving the lowerend of edge strip 84. The cutout portion 97 is open at its rearward endand the cutout portion 98 is open at its rearward and outward ends toallow end cap extensions 99 and 100 to partially enclose the lower endsof the arms 44 and 46 and thereby provide a finished appearance of theattached handle member 52 in combination with the mounting strip 30while still allowing the handle member 52 to be removed as described.The endmost lanced projections 72 are spaced from the upper and lowerends of the handle member a distance sufficient to allow the detachmentof the handle member without being restricted by the extensions 99 and100.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosedconstitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted.

What is claimed is:

l. A door trim handle assembly for domestic applicances comprising, anelongated channel-shaped mounting strip and a coextensive handle member,said mounting strip having a platelike base wall and first and secondopposed legs extending forwardly from each side of said base wallforming a pocket therebetween, said first leg having-a resilient flangeformed on its end being reversely bent inwardly and rearwardly so as tobe substantially parallel with said first leg, said resilient flangefree end being spaced from said base wall a defined distance, said firstleg forming an angle slightly less than ninety degrees with said basewall whereby the forward portion of said resilient flange provides aninwardly facing shoulder extending laterally inwardly beyond the freeend of said resilient flange, said second leg located generallyperpendicularly to said base wall and including an intumed arm formed onits forward end and being substantially parallel to said base wall toform a recess with said base wall, said intumed arm having its free endfolded back upon itself and spaced above said base wall by a distancesubstantially equal to said defined distance, said handle member havinga generally J-shaped configuration comprising a back wall forinterlocked engagement with said mounting strip, a bottom wall joined toone edge of said back wall and extending sub stantially right angularlythereto, and a front wall joined to the front edge of said bottom walland extending generally parallel to said back wall, said back wallhaving a thickness substantially equal to said defined distance andbeing spaced from said front wall by a distance sufficient for anoperators fingers to be received therebetween, the said one edge of saidback wall having a plurality of lanced projections lying in the plane ofsaid back wall and extending slightly beyond the surface of said bottomwall, said handle member being disposed between said opposed legs andlocked in said pocket by means of the free edge of said back wallfitting into said recess, said lanced projections being sprung into thespace of said defined distance between said resilient flange free endand said base wall by being cammed over the extension of said first legshoulder, said resilient flange having sufficient flexure whereby saidfirst leg shoulder presses against said handle bottom wall forwardly ofthe lanced projections of said back wall to spring biasingly lock saidhandle member within said mounting strip pocket.

2. The door trim handle assembly as defined in claim I wherein saidhandle member includes a pair of J-shaped end caps provided forattachment to the ends of said handle member walls, each of said endcaps positioned for positive engagement with the adjacent ends of saidmounting strip and said handle member walls whereby said handle memberis retained against endwise sliding movement relative to said mountingstrip.

3. In combination, walls forming a refrigerator cabinet having anopening therein, and a pair of doors arranged side-byside and adapted toclose said opening, said doors having respective elongated edge surfacesdisposed adjacent each other when said doors close said opening, eachsaid door including an outer panel member forming an outer face thereof,an improved trim handle assembly on each of said doors adjacent saidedge surfaces and substantially coextensive therewith, each said trimhandle assembly comprising, an elongated channel-shaped mounting stripand a handle member, said mounting strip having a plate-like base walland first and second opposed legs extending forwardly from each side ofsaid base wall forming a U-shaped pocket therebetween, means forsecuring said base wall to the outer face of its associated dooradjacent its elongated edge, said first leg having a resilient flangeformed on its end being reversely bent inwardly and rearwardly so as tobe substantially parallel with said first leg, said resilient flangefree end being spaced from said base wall a defined distance, said firstleg forming an acute angle of the order of eighty seven degrees withsaid base wall whereby the forward portion of said resilient flangeprovides an inwardly facing shoulder extending laterally inwardly beyondthe free end of said resilient flange, said second leg locatedsubstantially ninety degrees to said base wall and including an inturnedarm formed on its outward end and being substantially parallel to saidbase wall to form a recess with said base wall, said inturned arm havingits free end folded back upon itself and spaced above said base wall bya distance substantially equal to said defined distance, said handlemember including an elongated J-shaped trim portion of uniform sectionand a pair of upper and lower end caps, said elongated trim portionbeing substantially coextensive with said mounting strip and having aback wall for interlocked engagement with said mounting strip, a bottomwall joined to one edge of said back wall and extending substantiallyright angularly thereto, and a front wall joined to the front edge ofsaid bottom wall and extending generally parallel to said back wall,said back wall having a thickness substantially equal to said defineddistance and being spaced from said front wall by a distance sufficientfor an operator's fingers to be received therebetween, the said one edgeof said back wall having a plurality of lanced projections lying in theplane of said back wall and extending slightly beyond the surface ofsaid bottom wall, said handle member being disposed between said opposedlegs and locked in said pocket by means of the free edge of said backwall fitting into said recess, said lanced projections being sprung intothe space of said defined distance between said resilient flange freeend and said base wall by being cammed over the extension of said firstleg shoulder, said resilient flange having sufficient flexure wherebysaid first leg shoulder presses against said handle bottorn wallforwardly of said back wall. lanced projections to spring biasingly locksaid handle member within said mounting strip U-shaped pocket, each ofsaid upper and lower end caps having a J-shaped configuration formedwith a channel therein conforming with the cross section of saidelongated J- shaped trim portion and said mounting strip, the ends ofsaid elongated J-shaped trim portion walls and the ends of said mountingstrip being received in said end cap channels, and means for fixedlysecuring said end caps to said elongated trim portion whereby saidhandle member is retained against endwise sliding movement relative tosaid mounting strip.

1. A door trim handle assembly for domestic applicances comprising, anelongated channel-shaped mounting strip and a coextensive handle member,said mounting strip having a platelike base wall and first and secondopposed legs extending forwardly from each side of said base wallforming a pocket therebetween, said first leg having a resilient flangeformed on its end being reversely bent inwardly and rearwardly so as tobe substantially parallel with said first leg, said resilient flangefree end being spaced from said base wall a defined distance, said firstleg forming an angle slightly less than ninety degrees with said basewall wheReby the forward portion of said resilient flange provides aninwardly facing shoulder extending laterally inwardly beyond the freeend of said resilient flange, said second leg located generallyperpendicularly to said base wall and including an inturned arm formedon its forward end and being substantially parallel to said base wall toform a recess with said base wall, said inturned arm having its free endfolded back upon itself and spaced above said base wall by a distancesubstantially equal to said defined distance, said handle member havinga generally Jshaped configuration comprising a back wall for interlockedengagement with said mounting strip, a bottom wall joined to one edge ofsaid back wall and extending substantially right angularly thereto, anda front wall joined to the front edge of said bottom wall and extendinggenerally parallel to said back wall, said back wall having a thicknesssubstantially equal to said defined distance and being spaced from saidfront wall by a distance sufficient for an operator''s fingers to bereceived therebetween, the said one edge of said back wall having aplurality of lanced projections lying in the plane of said back wall andextending slightly beyond the surface of said bottom wall, said handlemember being disposed between said opposed legs and locked in saidpocket by means of the free edge of said back wall fitting into saidrecess, said lanced projections being sprung into the space of saiddefined distance between said resilient flange free end and said basewall by being cammed over the extension of said first leg shoulder, saidresilient flange having sufficient flexure whereby said first legshoulder presses against said handle bottom wall forwardly of the lancedprojections of said back wall to spring biasingly lock said handlemember within said mounting strip pocket.
 2. The door trim handleassembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said handle member includes apair of J-shaped end caps provided for attachment to the ends of saidhandle member walls, each of said end caps positioned for positiveengagement with the adjacent ends of said mounting strip and said handlemember walls whereby said handle member is retained against endwisesliding movement relative to said mounting strip.
 3. In combination,walls forming a refrigerator cabinet having an opening therein, and apair of doors arranged side-by-side and adapted to close said opening,said doors having respective elongated edge surfaces disposed adjacenteach other when said doors close said opening, each said door includingan outer panel member forming an outer face thereof, an improved trimhandle assembly on each of said doors adjacent said edge surfaces andsubstantially coextensive therewith, each said trim handle assemblycomprising, an elongated channel-shaped mounting strip and a handlemember, said mounting strip having a plate-like base wall and first andsecond opposed legs extending forwardly from each side of said base wallforming a U-shaped pocket therebetween, means for securing said basewall to the outer face of its associated door adjacent its elongatededge, said first leg having a resilient flange formed on its end beingreversely bent inwardly and rearwardly so as to be substantiallyparallel with said first leg, said resilient flange free end beingspaced from said base wall a defined distance, said first leg forming anacute angle of the order of eighty seven degrees with said base wallwhereby the forward portion of said resilient flange provides aninwardly facing shoulder extending laterally inwardly beyond the freeend of said resilient flange, said second leg located substantiallyninety degrees to said base wall and including an inturned arm formed onits outward end and being substantially parallel to said base wall toform a recess with said base wall, said inturned arm having its free endfolded back upon itself and spaced above said base wall by a distancesubstantially equal to said defined distance, said haNdle memberincluding an elongated J-shaped trim portion of uniform section and apair of upper and lower end caps, said elongated trim portion beingsubstantially coextensive with said mounting strip and having a backwall for interlocked engagement with said mounting strip, a bottom walljoined to one edge of said back wall and extending substantially rightangularly thereto, and a front wall joined to the front edge of saidbottom wall and extending generally parallel to said back wall, saidback wall having a thickness substantially equal to said defineddistance and being spaced from said front wall by a distance sufficientfor an operator''s fingers to be received therebetween, the said oneedge of said back wall having a plurality of lanced projections lying inthe plane of said back wall and extending slightly beyond the surface ofsaid bottom wall, said handle member being disposed between said opposedlegs and locked in said pocket by means of the free edge of said backwall fitting into said recess, said lanced projections being sprung intothe space of said defined distance between said resilient flange freeend and said base wall by being cammed over the extension of said firstleg shoulder, said resilient flange having sufficient flexure wherebysaid first leg shoulder presses against said handle bottom wallforwardly of said back wall lanced projections to spring biasingly locksaid handle member within said mounting strip U-shaped pocket, each ofsaid upper and lower end caps having a J-shaped configuration formedwith a channel therein conforming with the cross section of saidelongated J-shaped trim portion and said mounting strip, the ends ofsaid elongated J-shaped trim portion walls and the ends of said mountingstrip being received in said end cap channels, and means for fixedlysecuring said end caps to said elongated trim portion whereby saidhandle member is retained against endwise sliding movement relative tosaid mounting strip.